The New Girl
by OOT Obssessed
Summary: The new girl Violet has caught Fred's eye, but does he have what it takes to catch her's?  You may recognise Violet as an OC from my other story When Will You Love Me. I used her again, liking the combination of her and Fred.
1. The New Girl

VIOLET'S POV:

I was a new student at Hogwarts, my name having not been picked up by the magic quill that detects every magic-born child. I should have been a 6th year, but Dumbledore made it clear that if I wanted to make it up to the right year, I would have to pass the necessary exams to get into my 6th year classes.

After three weeks at Hogwarts, I had already passed all 5 exams I needed to get into my 6th year classes and I was currently walking with some new friends into my first class as a 6th year Gryffindor student. Charms.

Everyone in the room was already seated but me and my friends and they all turned to look at us.

I blushed, then I looked up into the expectant eyes of a very short man with close-cropped black hair and a black moustache above which, sat a pair of battered glasses, teetering precariously on the edge of his nose.

"And who is this?" he asked, smiling kindly at me and motioning for me to stand at the front of the classroom.

Being a very antisocial person, I dreaded things like this. I prayed with all my might that he wouldn't ask me to give the whole class an evaluation of myself. My cheeks were already bright red.

"Introduce yourself, please." the man said, still smiling.

I tried to hide my grimace and then turned to face the whole classroom of students. My face felt like it would melt off.

"My name is Violet Radke. I'm new here. Well, sort of. I was new here three weeks ago, but I guess that still makes me new." I babbled.

A few people smiled at my goofiness. I noticed a pair of red-headed twins at the back of the room who snickered a little.

"Alright, then, Violet. Take a seat anywhere."

I nodded and hurried off, looking for an empty seat. I saw one of my friends, Hermione I thought her name was, pointing at the empty seat next to her.

Hermione was advanced in these classes, and she was very nice, so I instantly liked her.

I sat and the teacher gave the class free time to talk amongst ourselves for a moment while he went into the corridor to speak with another professor about some student's shenanigan or another.

"So," Hermione said awkwardly.

I knew what she was thinking about saying.

"That was insanely embarrassing." I said, my blush returning.

"Well, well, Ms. Granger." came a deep voice from behind me.

I turned to see that I was seated between the red-headed twins that had laughed at me earlier and Hermione. I suppressed a groan, hoping the conversation wouldn't turn to my embarrassing introduction.

"Who is this socially awkward young thing you've taken under your wing?" said the one closest to me.

"In case you missed it, I've already told you my name. Violet." I said, glaring at the one that called me socially awkward. Sure I really was, but I still saw no point in him pointing it out.

"Oh how could we miss that?" asked the other one, laughing a little, but not looking up from whatever on the desk was entertaining him so thoroughly.

I looked up at the other one and saw something odd in his eyes. It made me want to blush and look away, but I couldn't. I thought of it as a stare-down.

"Fred." he said, holding his hand out to me and letting his face relax into a goofy grin.

I shook it, smiling back. "Nice to meet you."

"Don't worry, they really are pretty nice once you get to know them." Hermione whispered.

"Hey, we heard that!" The one on the other side of Fred said. "Are you implying that she thinks we are… not nice?" he continued.

Hermione gave him an incredulous look. "Yes!" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I still didn't know the other twin's name. He seemed to catch my confused look.

"George." he said, holding out his hand.

I shook it and smiled at him.

Then the Professor walked back into the room.

"That's Professor Flitwick." Hermione whispered as he began teaching the class how to use an Aguamenticharm.

I was a very fast learner, as demonstrated in my achievement of rightful 6th year status in the short period of three weeks, and got the charm down quickly, much to the surprise of Fred and George. The Professor was impressed. Hermione had gotten it much faster than I had, but she had helped me a little with my wand's posture.

For the rest of the class, Hermione and I sat and giggled about Seamus Finnagin's latest show of pyrotechnics. I had only seen him blow himself up twice counting this morning, but apparently it was something that happened quite often.

When the class ended, Hermione explained that she had to leave fast for her next class and wished me luck before dashing out of the room before anyone else.

I gathered my things, tossing a book and a few other little bobbles into my bag.

I picked up my purple journal that held everything I'd ever written in it. I loved to write things and from what people told me, I was fairly good at it.

I was about to stuff it into my bag with the rest of my things, when my elbow hit something and knocked the journal out of my hands. It fell to the floor, opening to a page I had written not long ago about a young woman captured on a pirate ship who falls in love with the man holding her hostage, but also develops feelings for other man being held prisoner with her. I bent to pick it up, but before my hand reached it, it was swept up in a pale hand.

Fred was reading the page!

"Diary?" he asked, skimming the lines.

"No," I said reaching to get it back but not having long enough arms for the distance with which he held it away.

"You a writer?" he asked monotonously, still holding the book away.

Everyone had already left the room besides us and Professor Flitwick, but he was busying himself with tidying multiple stacks of books.

"Sort of. I would love to be professionally, but I don't think I have the talent (or the patience) for that." I didn't stop making grabs for my journal, but I found myself wondering, "why am I telling him this?"

He stopped reading, shut the book, handed it back to me and walked away saying, "I think you're good enough."

But I could've been mistaken.

Shaking my head in a confused manner (confused about the weirdness surrounding the red-headed twins), I walked to my next class.

GEORGE'S POV:

I stayed leaning against the wall next to the door, waiting for Fred and listened to them, laughing internally. I could just picture her jumping around in front of Fred, trying to get back that little purple journal. Of course, in my mind it was much more funny than what I peeked in and saw. She was only standing on her tip-toes reaching for it and he held it away, reading.

I frowned in disappointment and turned back to leaning against the wall and looking bored.

When Fred came out, he almost walked straight past me.

I caught up to him quickly, though.

"So you're done flirting now?" I asked, smiling slyly.

He blushed and looked down, mumbling, "Shut up…"

The rest of the day, he dropped sneaky hints about her. Some times he would note that a girl's hair look nice or that their freckles were cute. But every time I looked, it was exactly like that Violet girl's had been.

He was driving me crazy.

I sighed and leaned forward, whispering, "You're not smooth, I know you're thinking about her."

He didn't even have to ask who it was I was talking about. He blushed and said, "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes and got back to our task.

"She is rather pretty, though, isn't she?" he asked again, just as I was beginning to be able to concentrate.

"Yes, I suppose so." I said, thinking of her long, straight black hair and her splay of freckles and the way she carried herself. She was pretty. Not someone I would go for, but Fred's type to a T.

Our next class was the only one Fred and I didn't have together. Music for Fred, Divination for me.

We parted ways and I walked to divination class, without much hope of Fred giving up on this girl.

FRED'S POV:

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the picture of Violet and her annoyed grimace out of my mind. It made no sense. I had only just met her, why couldn't I get rid of her image?

I walked into muggle music class hoping I could get rid of the mental torture of her cute smile. But as soon as I stepped through the door, there she was, sitting right beside my seat. Again.

At first I thought maybe my mental images had begun making me crazy and made me see things that weren't really there, but when I sat down next to her, it turned out she was a real person.

She smiled coyly at me and said, "Stalking me, are you, Weasley?"

I faked a hurt tone, "YOU, my dear, have infiltrated MY school, and sat next to ME. I have not been stalking you."

She laughed and I found one more thing I liked about her.

"So you have musical talent?" she asked.

"None whatsoever." I said, making her laugh again. "Do you?"

She blushed and looked down. I could tell she didn't like talking about herself much.

"I can play the trumpet really well and I can play the piano okay."

I cracked a crooked smile. "Sounds like I've got a present-day Mozart in my presence."

She laughed once more and said, "Mozart was a man. I'm not a man."

I looked her over, admiring her. "That you are not."

She blushed and looked away.


	2. I Got A Date!

VIOLET'S POV:

I couldn't help but notice the gleam in Fred's eye as he watched me through the whole class.

Not much work was done. It was mostly the whole class talking about musical abilities and maybe putting on a musical or a choir performance.

Halfway through class, Fred nudged me gently.

"So what is your birthday?" he asked, leaning forward and threading each of his fingers through the ones on his other hand.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked curiously.

"Just trying to make conversation." he said coolly.

"February 7th." I revealed.

"Aquarius." he said.

"Okay, was that just a sneaky way of asking what my sign was?" I asked, eyeing him intently.

He laughed and if I hadn't known better, I could've sworn I heard a nervous edge to it. "I guess you could think of it like that. So anyways. Aquarius. Awful detached I hear. Showing no emotion, you know?" he rambled.

Realizing that in asking me about my star sign, he was overtly (or at least slightly overtly) showing an interest in me, and that his "no emotion" statement was true enough for me, I said, "So what about you? When is your birthday?"

He seemed uncomfortable with telling me and frowned.

"Come on! Its only fair. I told you mine." I argued.

"April 1st." he finally mumbled.

"Aries." I recalled. "Very accident prone, due to over trustfulness." I said, remembering an article I read on the sign. Something about "being naïve…. often innocently wandering into the lion's den".

"You really are a writer." he said, shaking his head and smiling.

I looked at him, confused.

"You keep explaining things in the most complicated way possible, making it sound smarter."

I frowned, realizing that I did do this a lot, but my attention was only just being brought to it. 'How long have I been doing that?' I wondered.

"Don't worry, its not a bad thing." he said hastily, seeing my frown.

I nodded, unconvinced.

"'She sat in the dingy cabin, wondering, '_will I see my love and captor again soon? Or at least before I die down here in this pit?_'" he said, quoting my story.

I stared at him incredulously. How had he remembered that?

"How did you-?" I started.

He tapped his temple and said, "I've got a good memory and that line has been stuck in my head all day."

Oh.

"Well… Um, I'm sorry?" I said, not sure exactly what I was apologizing for.

He waved away my apology. "Its better than having something I don't understand stuck in my head. Like Shakespearean monologues." He feigned a shiver and turned to smile at me.

"Shakespearean monologues are not that hard to figure out. Just think old time-y speak." I explained.

I saw something spark deep in his brown eyes, like he was getting an idea.

"I could really use some help with that. Do you think you could help me study some time?" he asked, smiling out of one corner of his mouth in a way that made me blush again.

By this time, almost everyone in the classroom's attention was on us. I looked around at the students nosily watching our exchange with intense interest, my blush deepening.

"Um… Sure, I guess so." I said, my voice cracking a little.

I could feel my chest tighten in… what was it tightening in? Whatever it was, it wasn't unpleasant.

He _was_ fairly gorgeous, with dark brown eyes, short red hair that just barely swept the tops of his eyes, and a smile to die for.

Class ended and he stood, grabbing his book and turned to me smiling and said, "See you later, alright, lovely?" He winked.

Gosh, that boy was a flirt.

I nodded, unable to speak for fear my words would come out as a squeak.

He walked away, leaving me blushing with a few girls glaring at me enviously.

FRED'S POV:

I walked out of the classroom on some kind of high. Not only was that my last class of the day, I just got an extremely hot date.

I hurried back to the common room to tell George what had happened. I walked in and saw him sitting on the couch in front of the fire, a book in his hand, his eyes trained on the words before him.

"What's got you so worked up?" he said without looking up.

After him pointing it out, I realized how my shoulders were set in an excited position and my smile was too wide for something not to have happened.

"Oh nothing… I've just got a little date." I said nonchalantly, strolling past him and sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

He looked up and smiled. "Way to go, Freddie. What are you doing?"

"She is going to help me study Shakespearean monologues." I said, chewing absently on a fingernail.

"Ah, that's not a date, Fred. That's a study session."

I laughed and said, "If it goes good, it may turn into a very different kind of session."

George laughed along with me.

Students flooded into the common room then, all girls and boys our age. In the middle of the gaggle of students, I spotted a short girl with straight black hair and a pin pulling the right side up out of her face. It was her.

I hopped up off the couch and went to where she was talking amongst some other girls. I smoothly walked over and draped my arm over her shoulders, saying in a lazy tone, "Its terribly rude not to invite your beset friend to gossip circles, you know."

A few of the girls looked at me and blushed. Huh. Did girls always do that around me?

"And who said you were my best friend?" she said, smiling at me.

"Huh… Okay. Want to be my best friend?" I asked lightly.

She laughed. "Oh of course, Fred. I would love to be your best friend!" she said, being overly dramatic in a comical way.

I laughed with her.

The other girls were watching us intently, most of them jealously glancing at Violet and looking at me with something like longing in their eyes. That was new. Or was it? Maybe I just hadn't noticed before.

I self-consciously pulled my arm back and said a little quieter, "So when are we going to study?"

She thought about it for a minute. "How about after dinner tonight?"

I smiled and forgot about being quiet, saying, "It's a date."

The girls looked up at that, their eyes huge and staring at Violet and their jaws nearly on the floor.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna get back to George now." I said, slowly inching backwards and going to sit back beside George.

VIOLET'S POV:

I stared after him and when I turned back to the girls, all of them were staring at me.

"What?" I asked after a while, wondering if there was something in my teeth.

"You're going on a DATE with FRED WEASLEY?" one of them asked me.

"Oh, no, I'm helping him study. Its not really a date." I explained.

But they were unconvinced. "Suuure." they said.

Then it was time for dinner.

I almost got crushed by a stampede hungry teenagers on the way out the door. Someone's hand reached out from in the crowd and pulled me through to the other side of the doorway. We were off to the side of the crowd and out in the hallway.

"Thanks," I said, reaching up to smooth down my scraggly hair. "but that kind of messed up my hair."

"No problem." Fred said, reaching up to smooth out some of the stray pieces I had missed. Then he looked down at me and grabbed a piece of hair and tucked it behind my ear. "Perfect." he whispered.

I wasn't sure I heard him right though. "What was that?" I asked.

He shook his head and said, "Nothing. Come on, lets go eat."

I walked with him in silence down to the great hall. There was a large assortment of food, of which I ate little. Fred and George, however ate a lot. And very enthusiastically.

After dinner was over, Fred grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him up to the common room. We were far ahead of everybody else and no one else was around us. Just when I thought we were going to go into the common room, he changed directions.

I ran after him, laughing and saying, "Where are you taking me?"

He never answered, but finally, after what seemed like an hour of running, we ended in the astronomy tower.

He let go of my wrist and closed the door.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, looking around.

"Well, I have a short attention span and therefore a terribly hard time concentrating with distractions and there's nowhere really private in the common room, so I came to the first place I could think of." he explained a little sheepishly.

"Ah… And why did we have to run the whole way here?" I asked, my feet aching.

"I didn't want anyone to see us and come wandering up here while we're studying." he said.

I nodded, still not quite grasping his logic.

"Well, then," I said as he pulled a book out of a bag I hadn't noticed was strung across his shoulders. "let's study."


	3. Shakespeare

FRED'S POV:

She was really quite good at interpreting Shakespeare.

We laid on our stomachs facing each other over the book and she read some things and then I would attempt to find its meaning, I would fail, she would give me the correct interpretation and we would move on to the next one.

"Okay, how about this one? 'How now, my love! Why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast?' What do you think of that one?"

It was the easiest one I had gotten yet.

"He's talking about her blush." I said softly, thinking of the way Violet blushed.

She nodded, smiling. "You finally got one!" she exclaimed, holding her hand up for a high-five.

I gently slapped her hand with my own and patted myself on the back (literally), which made her laugh.

She announced that our studying was over and I closed the book and picked it up off the floor, tossing it into my bag.

We walked over to the window and looked up at the stars.

She rested her elbow on the railing and put her cheek in her hand.

I got a sudden ingenious spark of inspiration. I stretched out my arm, putting the other hand up to my heart and getting down on one knee next to her.

"See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!"

She looked down at me with a smile on her face. I never wanted that smile to leave. It wasn't like the smiles she gave me when we were in class or around people, it was a smile she used when her guard was down. Maybe my assumption about showing no emotion wasn't quite so far off.

She faked a look of surprise and look around, clutching her hands to her chest, saying, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

I stood then and continued playing along, my memory working better than I thought it would, recalling even the parts of the scene that weren't famous.

Skipping trough some parts, I turned and she called, "Romeo!"

"My dear?" I asked, turning fast and expectantly.

"At what o'clock to-morrow shall I send to thee?" she said, sounding very much like a lady of Verona in the time of this play.

I pretended to deliberate and then grabbed one of her hands in my own and said, "At the hour of nine."

For the first time that night, I saw her. Not just saw her, I REALLY saw her. The light blue cast the moonlight gave to her soft skin, the way the stars reflected in her light hazel eyes, the way her smile made my heart leap around like it had never done before.

Feeling a need to declare that her beauty was something more wondrous than any I had ever seen, I began to recite, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night."

She blushed and a softness that I would have never associated with this girl touched her eyes.

I grabbed her up in my arms and began twirling her around the room, noting the graceful way her feet glided across the hard wood floor.

Not knowing where my courage (or the lines I was speaking) were coming from, I said, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

She replied without pause. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims; hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

Smiling at her, I whispered, "You've got a good memory, too, my dear Violet." Then I switched to a slightly louder, but more old-time-sounding voice, "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." For the sake of time, she skipped to another line. "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

My voice went deep and a little husky and my eyes traveled down her face to rest on her lips. "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

As my line drew to an end, we slowed our spinning and leaned closer and closer. Then our lips met in a kiss. My head spun with the dizziness of my first kiss and my stomach rolled with butterflies. When I pulled away, I wished for another kiss and thanked the heavens when she began again on the next line, her voice not quite as composed as before.

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again."

I took my hand from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders as far as I could and used my other arm to wrap it around her waist as far as I could reach, holding her as close to me as I possibly could. Then I crushed my mouth to hers, squeezing her to me and not wanting to let go of her ever.

In that kiss, I conveyed a message. I had never felt like this about someone. Especially not after one day. I didn't want to rush things, but I really hadn't ever felt this way about someone, but I wasn't going to tell her that.

But then, I supposed kissing on the same day you meet someone was rushing it.

This was only the second kiss I had ever had, my first being the one we shared a few moments ago. Sure, lots of people thought I had my first kiss years ago, and I let them think whatever they wanted, but in reality, I just had my first kiss. I always wondered what my first kiss would be like (if it would be memorable, or end in disaster, if it would be with someone I liked or if I would be ambushed by someone I didn't particularly care for), but I knew I would remember this moment for the rest of my life.

I pulled away, the sparks beginning to become too much for me to handle.

She looked almost shocked for a second and then she dropped her arms and began pacing.

I couldn't think straight; my mind was too clouded with the electricity of our kiss.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned about her pacing around the room with such fervor.

"Nothing… I just… I usually don't do this kind of thing." she said, not stopping and not looking up.

I stood in front of her and grabbed her shoulders and she looked up.

"What is the matter, Violet?" I said, looking straight into her beautiful eyes and willing myself not get lost in them.

"I just… this is happening really fast. We just met today and I just gave you my first kiss." she said, sounding terribly disappointed in herself.

"Hey." I said, making her look back up at me after her eyes had lowered. "That was your first kiss, too?" I smiled a small smile and reached up to cup her cheek.

"Wait, so it was your first kiss?" she said, not sure if she believed me.

"Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?" I asked, drawing my hand back and pulling her into a hug. Right now, I just wanted to be close to her.

She reluctantly relaxed in my arms and sighed, letting her head drop forward and rest on my shoulder. "I see the way other girls look at you."

So it wasn't just my imagination.

"They must think you're the most amazing thing to happen to this school. I would've thought, you know with all the crazy crushing girls, that you had already had your first kiss." She sounded kind of melancholy.

"I would've thought that you, in all your beauty and loveliness, had already had your first kiss." I said, resting my cheek on the top of her head.

She sighed, though this time it sounded content, and said, "We should get back to the common room."

I nodded, not wanting to release her. I picked my bag up off the floor where I had dropped it and grabbed her hand, holding it all the way down to the common room.

When we reached the two staircases for boys and girls, we faced each other, still holding hands and she awkwardly leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek.

I drew her into a large hug and whispered "Goodnight" into her hair. I kissed her on the forehead and then let her go, turning to go up the stairs.

Behind me, I heard her whisper, "Goodnight, Fred."


	4. Aftermath

GEORGE'S POV:

I woke up and saw Fred leaning over me looking excited.

It must've been at least 1 in the morning.

"Did you JUST get in?" I asked groggily.

He nodded enthusiastically.

"And? Why are you leaning over me? And why do you look like you just won a million dollars?"

Fred sat on the edge of my bed and whispered, "I kissed her, George."

I could feel my tired eyes pop out of my head. He had kissed her? He had barely known her for a day.

"Fred, you barely know this girl!" I whispered urgently.

My comment didn't make his excitement falter.

"I know, George, but its amazing, I feel like I've always known her." When I started to argue that he sounded ridiculous, he held up a hand and said, "I know it sounds stupid and impossible, but its true. George, I've never felt like this before. I'm usually okay around girls, but when I'm with her, I can feel my heart speed up and I get all… unsmooth. Or at least less smooth than with other girls. I'm still fairly smooth I guess, but still, less smooth. See this? Now she's got me babbling like a lunatic just because I'm thinking about her!" He sighed and smiled.

"So how did it happen?" I asked, knowing he was going to tell me even if I hadn't asked.

"Well, we were just studying in the astronomy tower at first, then we went to the window and looked at the stars and she was leaning her face on her hand and I said that line Romeo says about wanting to touch her cheek. Then we kept on saying Shakespeare stuff and then we got to the part where they kiss and we kissed. It turns out, that was her first kiss, too. But anyway, that study method of hers works brilliantly; I didn't forget a single line."

I was about to say how he probably still sounded like an idiot but then he walked over to his bed and was snoring before his head hit the pillow.

Why was I being so bitter about this? Maybe because I still hadn't had my first kiss yet and I was… maybe… jealous? Nah, couldn't be.

VIOLET'S POV:

I walked into the room and tiptoed over to my bed.

The only thing that could be heard in the room were the snores of the other girls.

I thought over the kiss and drew my covers around me tighter. Thinking about the warmth of his body made me realize how cold it was in here.

I couldn't believe I had actually kissed him! But, I had liked it. The feel of being in his arms and kissing him and then the sound of him telling me he thought I was beautiful.

I could've spent all night in that moment with my head on his shoulder and his warm arms holding me close.

But it was happening awfully fast. On that note, I fell asleep.

When I walked down into the common room, Fred was there, waiting for me.

"Hey, bestest friend." he said, smiling goofily.

I smiled back and walked up to him. Before I could keep walking, though, he pulled me into a gigantic hug that lifted me off the ground.

When he set me back down, I was giggling. I couldn't seem to stop.

But when I finally did, I looked around and saw a bunch of girls eyeing us suspiciously and the few guys that were still in the room as well.

"Hey, I need to talk to you." Fred said, his normal silliness gone from his face for once and was replaced by a seriousness that shocked me.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a corner of the room where he looked down at me from his height.

"You know about… You-know-who and the whole deal with the ministry not teaching us D.A.D.A. right?"

I nodded.

"Well, a few students are on Harry's side about the return of… him. And we have put together a secret organization where we can learn what we need to know to protect ourselves. Its called Dumbledore's Army. How would you like to be the newest recruit?"

I smiled. I liked the idea of the rebelliousness as well as learning a few tricks the ministry had prohibited.

"Sounds good." I said.

Fred nodded and smiled. "Here, I'll just get another from Hermione, but I want you to take mine." He pulled a coin out of his pocket and put it in my hand. "When the next time of the meeting is decided, the coin's number will change to let you know."

I nodded and he said, "We better get to class or we're going to be late."

I nodded and grabbed his hand, making him smile. He held it tight (but not too tight) all the way to class.

Hermione was there before us and she looked up smiling to greet us. I saw her mouth open to say something, but her eyes traveled down to our joined hands and then they bulged out.

I sat down and she smiled widely, saying, "So, I guess you made a few new friends?"

I laughed as she looked pointedly at our hands. "Nothing is official, yet, but yes, you could say that I've made a new friend."

Fred, not understanding our girl talk, frowned and said, "What happened to bestest friends?"

Hermione and I giggled at his confused expression when he saw the amusement in our eyes.

Professor Flitwick walked in then and began announcing our assignment. An essay of some sort. The Professor gave us the whole class period to work on it, saying it was due Friday. The whole class talked while they worked.

"You're going to ace this thing, Vi." Fred said, leaning close.

"Okay, first, Vi? Second, what are you talking about?"

He laughed and said, "You're a writer. This assignment is right up your alley. And I called you Vi just to try out a nickname. You like it?"

I liked the idea of him giving me a nickname. More than I would have liked to admit.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes and said, "Sure, why not."

I set my quill to the sheet of paper in front of me and began writing, aware that Fred was watching me the whole time. When class was over, I stood and collected my things and then I noticed Fred looking at me strangely.

"What?" I asked, looking down and thinking maybe there was something on my robe.

"Uh…" he seemed to have just noticed that he had been looking at me weirdly and shook himself out of it. "Nothing. So, sit with me at lunch today?"

I smiled and nodded, still wondering what it was he had been looking at me for. I walked out and headed for my next class, already ready for it to be over so I could sit with Fred again.

The whole next class, I noticed myself spacing out and thinking back to the night before. I tried not to lose focus, but often I would find myself writing Fred on my paper.

There were a few extra minutes at the end of class, so I pulled out my journal and started writing. I wrote down a description of Fred just to get it out of my system. I wrote in detail about his warm brown eyes, his bright red hair that was short but long enough to hang over his forehead a bit, the many layers of his amazing voice, and the softness with which he had held me.

The bell rang, so I chucked it into my bag and took off to the great hall.

FRED'S POV:

I sat down on the hard bench and grabbed some food.

George was sitting across from me, talking to someone animatedly about some project they had.

I looked up in time to see Violet walk in with a strange lilt to her step.

I smiled as she walked up and sat down beside me.

"Hello, gorgeous." I said, making her blush. I loved it when she blushed. Luckily for me, she seemed to do it a lot.

"Hey."

Playing around with her, I said, "Oh so I'm not attractive?"

I made a few attempts at some mock model poses.

She laughed and said, "No, no, you're attractive."

My heart jumped and sped up and finally slowed to a normal pace.

"Aww, you think he's attractive? How cute!" George said in a girly voice from the other side of the table.

"You realize that means you think George is attractive, too?" said the black-haired boy George had been talking to.

She blushed again and said, "Yeah, so? They are both very attractive." She said it professionally, not sounding embarrassed or biased in any way.

"You ready to go to class?" she asked when lunch was over.

I nodded and stood with her.

This time, she reached out and grabbed my hand instead of the other way around.

I wondered where we stood in this odd relationship. Just friends? Undecided? Or was this more serious than that?


	5. Malfoy and the Attack of the New Girl

VIOLET'S POV:

Music class was just a productive as the day before. Many of the students were sitting around talking about plays and productions and other things of the sort.

"Soooo" I said, trying to think of something Fred and I could talk about.

"So. What's your favorite color?" he asked.

"Purple." I responded without thinking. "What about you?"

"Blue." he replied. "Your turn."

I searched my brain for a thought, biting my lip out of habit. "Hobbies?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know.

"Pulling pranks on people and Qudditch. What about you?"

Huh… Quidditch. I never would've thought he was on the team.

"Reading, writing, listening to music. So what position do you play on the Quidditch team?"

He hesitated a second, a smile slowly forming on his lips. "Guess."

I hated guessing things. I always got them wrong and even when I did, people still wouldn't tell me.

"Can I just guess once and if I get it wrong you can tell me? I'm really terrible at guessing things."

He nodded.

I thought for a moment. "Chaser?" I asked, not having much faith in my answer.

He laughed and shook his head. "Beater."

My eyes widened. He was a beater?

"Why do you look so surprised?" he asked, smiling.

"Because, I mean, you don't look like a beater. You know, all muscle-y."

He grabbed my hand and put it over his flexed bicep. I was impressed. I hadn't thought of him as very strong (not that I'd ever thought about his strength before) but his muscles were quite large.

A few girls squealed and walked up saying, "I don't think you look that strong either!" "I want to see!" and "move out of the way, I want to feel, too!".

I rolled my eyes and Fred leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together under the table.

The swooning girls saw that he wasn't going to let them feel him up and shuffled back to their seats, disappointment and envy written clear across their features.

"Do you see what I mean?" I asked Fred, gesturing to the glaring girls.

"They didn't seem to do that before." Fred said, frowning.

"Maybe you just weren't paying attention." I suggested.

He shrugged. Without seeming to give it conscious thought, he grabbed my hand and started tracing patterns on the back of it with the tip of his finger. I thought I felt something like a heart, but dismissed the notion when I realized how ridiculous that sounded.

I looked up into his eyes and saw desire in them so fierce that I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I must've been because when I gave up on my blinking fit, it was gone.

I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about him. I certainly liked him and I could tell he liked me, too. But did I like him enough to be in a serious relationship with him? I hardly knew him. But maybe I could get to know him a little better.

"So. Umm… Are we studying again today?" I asked him eagerly. Maybe a little too eagerly.

It earned me a few hostile scowls from the girls sitting around us.

He flashed a wide grin and said, "Absolutely! Unless… You had something you needed to get out of it for?" His happy expression faltered and I felt myself frown.

I found I liked it when he smiled.

"No. I want to study with you today." I assured him, catching his fingers in my hand and squeezing them gently.

His smile came back up and I caught myself smiling with him.

FRED'S POV:

My heart beat hard and fast. She had been the one to suggest studying this time. I'm not sure why this made me so happy, but it did.

Class ended and a group of girls swarmed me, pushing Violet away from me.

I reached out over the crowd, trying to find Violet, but only grabbed some random girl's hair. She didn't appreciate that much.

"Sorry!" I yelled to her.

I ducked down and crawled between the jumping bodies till I found Violet. She helped me up and stared at the crowd of crazy girls in horror.

They noticed where I was, but before they could form another crowd around me, I flung my arm over Violet's shoulders and she grabbed onto the hand that hung over her shoulder. The girls stopped and watched us, then broke into a loud chorus of whispering. "Are they dating?" "What's _she_ doing with him?" "Why did he pick her over me?"

We walked out of the room, but I could feel their stares in the back of my head the whole way out.

When we reached the common room, I pulled my robe off and fixed the collar of the white shirt I wore under a thick grey V-neck jumper and my red and gold tie. Violet, too, shed herself of her robe, leaving her in a sleeveless tunic and a pleated skirt. Under the tunic, she wore a white button-up shirt with a tie the same as mine.

She sat on the couch in front of the fire, draping her robe over the armrest.

Remembering something, I reached into my pocket for the coin I had gotten from Hermione earlier. The date had been changed. September 23rd. That was today. And in five minutes.

"We've got to be in the room of requirement in five minutes." I told her quietly.

She nodded and said, "I'm going to put my robe up and then I'll be down."

I did the same and we met up back in the common room again in record time.

I took her hand and ran along to the hall at the end of which was the room requirement. When we got there, the door to the room was being exceptionally slow-opening and we stood anxiously, hoping that no one would come along and discover us.

But, before it opened all the way, I heard a voice echoing down the halls. A mean, haughty voice that I knew instantly.

"Malfoy." I whispered in fear. I couldn't let him find us.

I grabbed Violet's hand and took her back down the hall, the door closing up again.

"We cant run, this passage is open for a long way, he'll see us." she said.

I knew she was right and I could hear his and a few other pairs of footsteps inching closer.

I acted on impulse and grabbed Violet by her shoulders and pulled her to me tightly. She already knew what was happening and wrapped her arms around my neck. Even under this kind of pressure, I couldn't help but notice how soft her lips were or how pleasant kissing her was.

"Well, well. Isn't that just sickeningly sweet?" I heard the familiar voice say.

I pulled away but kept hugging her as tight to me as I could without hurting her. There was no telling what these Slytherin scum-bags would try.

She played like a fearful damsel and buried her face in my chest, not taking her arms off of my shoulders.

"What do you want Malfoy?" I asked, coldly.

"Ooh, Weasley's gotten himself an attitude, has he?" he said, an amused expression on his face.

I looked at him evenly, trying to keep any emotion from playing across my features.

"So who's your love-bird, there?" he said, trying to peer around her arm.

I turned to face him, pushing her behind me.

Malfoy laughed. "What? Are you afraid she'll see me and leave you?"

I just glared at him.

I felt Violet tug at the back of my shirt. "Move out of the way Fred." Her voice was calm and confident.

I did what she said and moved to the side.

He got a look at her and did exactly what I expected he would. He staggered back a step, something like wonder in his eyes. But then he realized what he was doing and cleared his throat, composing himself.

"So what are you doing kissing someone like Weasley?" he said sarcastically, saying my name like it was a disease.

She just smiled sweetly and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

I saw a vein in his forehead jump.

He raised his hand, preparing to knock her down.

I was too stunned to do anything but stand and watch, wide-eyed.

"Why you stupid little-" he began.

But she caught his wrist before his hand could connect.

I was shocked. Her reflexes were insane.

He tried to lash out with his other hand, but she caught that one, too and brought them both together, twisting the wrists away from each other. Then, still looking completely adorable, she spread his arms apart again and lifted a foot, kicking him in the stomach which propelled him away from her and onto the ground.

A few of his friends were staring at Malfoy like he was their worst nightmare come to life. The one to the right of her looked at Violet and she feigned attack, stopping at the last minute and scaring him away. Malfoy scrambled to his feet, running away.

I laughed, startling her. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" I gushed, grabbing her in a monster hug.

"Thanks. I think?" she said.

I kissed her on the forehead and put my arm around her shoulders as we walked back up to the door to the room of requirement.

As soon as we got in, everyone started cheering. They had been crowded around the door and had apparently seen what had happened.

Harry and George walked over to me. Harry said, "Well, Fred, you're girlfriend is joining? That's good because she's a good fighter."

"She's not my girlfriend." I said hastily.

He looked pointedly at my arm over her shoulders and said, "That's not what I gathered from your little performance."

I blushed and slowly took my arm from her shoulders. She was talking animatedly with some of the girls so she didn't notice the exchange between Harry and I.

I secretly wondered if she really was my girlfriend.


	6. Dumbledore's Army Day 1

VIOLET'S POV:

The meeting went well. It was fun, even. Harry taught us some spells and then let us practice on our own. While everyone else was practicing spells, (I had already gotten most of them down) Harry pulled me to the side and said, "Anyone can fight with magic. The people we will be fighting wont be expecting someone who can fight hand-to-hand. I want you to practice sparring with people."

I had smiled eagerly and nodded. Being a violent person and given the excuse to knock a few people on their butts was a dream-come-true.

I fought a tall boy who seemed younger than me named Dean Thomas and won easily. His height hindered him.

Then came the young Irish pyrotechnic, Seamus.

"Don't hold back okay?" I said, winking.

He nodded and came up to the mat Harry had laid out for us. He rushed forward, aiming a blow at my face, but, at the last minute, I dodged and he was sent sprawling.

By now, a crowd had gathered and they were laughing heartily. I noticed Fred with his eyes trained on me and blushed a bit.

Seamus got back up and tried to throw a punch. This time, instead of dodging, I grabbed his fist and twisted until his arm was behind his back, then I kicked the back of his knee which put him down onto the ground.

He gave a pained grunt and, twisting his arm a bit further, I said sweetly, "Say uncle."

The crowd laughed and I let Seamus up.

He walked up to me smiling with his hand outstretched. I shook it and he walked past me.

Just as he stepped behind me, I heard a whistling sound in the air. Sensing that someone's fist was about to connect with my back, I rolled forward and hopped up into a spin as I turned to face Seamus again.

"Just checking. You really stick by that whole 'don't let your guard down' thing, huh?" he said, holding up his hands in defeat and smiling good-naturedly.

I laughed with everyone else and walked to grab the towel that Harry had found somewhere to wipe my face off. I was pouring sweat, having practiced magic and then fought a bunch of boys.

"You're a real menace, you know?" I heard a familiar voice whisper close to my ear.

I turned around grinning and said, "You better watch out. Next I'll be giving you a super wedgie and stealing your lunch money."

Fred smiled and gave me a hug.

"Careful, I'm sweaty."

He laughed and said, "Would it be inappropriate to comment on how well sweat suits you?"

I laughed and play-punched him in the gut.

Harry announced that the meeting was over and we should all head to the great hall for dinner.

GEORGE'S POV:

I looked across the room and saw the girl I had noticed only a few moments ago. How was it I had never noticed her before?

She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes and was currently laughing and talking among a group of 4 or 5 girls. She looked up and saw me staring and I shook my head, looking down.

I could feel my face heat up.

I looked up to see if she was still looking and, sure enough, she was. The look in her eyes said she was confused and probably thought I was crazy. But there was something else there, too. An interest I almost overlooked. Almost.

Regaining my confidence, I walked to her. She saw and started walking, too, meeting me halfway.

"Hi." I said, after a long and awkward pause.

"So what was up with the staring?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Umm… I'm sorry." I said, not sure why staring at her wouldn't have been a compliment to her looks. "So anyways, I don't remember ever having seen you around. What's your name?"

She took a second to look me over before glaring coldly at me and stating simply, "Zoë. What about you?"

"George." I said.

She nodded and said, "So, I'm going to go back over there," she gestured to her group of friends. "and you just stay right there or go away or whatever it is you do."

Her sarcasm was wearing on me. But it made her all the more intriguing.

FRED'S POV:

I caught a glimpse of George trying to talk to a pretty blond girl and I saw him get shut down.

His face dropped only a little bit, and his eyes kept wandering back to her, but every now and then when I looked up, I could see her looking at him, too. She just timed it to where he wouldn't catch her. Maybe I could help poor old George.

Violet and I walked away from the room of requirement and made our way to the great hall. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat with us tonight, talking about the way Seamus was spreading rumors about how he "let Violet win".

For some reason, I just couldn't get into the conversation. I didn't know exactly what made me feel so lousy, but I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that I was all alone, even in this giant room filled with hundreds of people.

Violet noticed. "What's the matter?" she asked, her brows drawing together in worry.

I shook my head and faked a smile. "Nothing. I just don't feel too good."

She reached for my hand under the table and squeezed gently and didn't let go.

When we finally went back to the common room, I sat on the couch and she followed my lead.

"I think we need to talk." she said, after a long and slightly awkward pause.

I don't know why but my cheeks turned red and my pulse quickened. "About what?"

She looked around at the crowd that was now talking very loudly and said, "Not here."

I nodded and leapt for the door. I took her back up to the astronomy tower and the whole way I wondered if it was going to be about where we stood in our relationship. She took a few slow steps into the room and I leaned back against the closed door, waiting for her to say something.

"I don't really know how to word this… What are we doing?" she asked finally, turning to face me with her hands palm to palm and her fingers splayed out.

I gave her a confused look. What did she mean exactly?

"I mean… What are WE doing? Like… Are we in a relationship, or are we just best friends?" She squeezed her eyes shut, saying the last part in a rush.

I walked further into the room and grabbed hold of her. I hugged her to me, not knowing what to say other than "I don't know."

She stood still as a statue. "Any ideas then?" she said, her voice quiet.

I knew she probably didn't want to rush into things (I wouldn't have either if I hadn't found the perfect girl to rush into things with) and she would want to get to know me a little better. "What if we just stayed best friends for a while until we get to know each other better? Then, if we think we should, we can be together then."

She pulled back, smiling. It was another unguarded one. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

I nodded and said, "Yeah, really."

She smiled wider and hugged me tight, surprising me.

I smiled into her hair.

"I love that idea." she said, still not pulling back.


	7. One in a Million

GEORGE'S POV:

I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the floor, frowning when nothing interesting caught my eye and then telling myself I was being ridiculous. Like the floor was going to distract me from thoughts of a blond girl with an angel's face.

Sighing in frustration, I fell backwards on the bed and pulled my pillow down over my face. Unable to squelch the thoughts of her, I strode out of the room, determined to find something to distract me, maybe talk to someone.

The first thing I saw when I walked into the common room, was a group of girls huddled around each other on the floor in front of the fire. I couldn't see any of their faces, with their heads bent inward together, but I saw clearly the blond hair that had been haunting me since I met her. Zoe.

The girls all leaned away, giggling. I saw her smile and my breath caught. I was sure my face was completely ridiculous, so I looked away and kept walking past the girls.

I opened the door to the common room and sat on the ground outside, trying to get my bearings.

"You're acting like an idiot, George." I told myself silently. This time, to make it more believable to my own ears, I said out loud, "She's just a girl."

"Who's just a girl?" came a female voice from behind me.

I jumped a little and turned to see Zoe looking at me curiously.

"No one. I was just- ah, talking to myself about some things." I said, moving over a little to make room for her to sit beside me.

She lowered herself down and sat beside me, leaning to her other side to be sure we weren't touching at all.

"About what?" she asked, not looking at me and inspecting a nail.

I shook my head and said, "Just some school stuff."

She looked at me like she didn't believe a word I said, but dropped it.

The halls were silent and dark, devoid of its normal chatter. I felt my hands clam up and nonchalantly rubbed the moisture off on the side of my pants.

She looked down at her hands, one hand holding the other in her lap, and her hair fell lightly in front to the side of her face, blocking it from my view. "So, look…" she started. She seemed to be struggling with something. Finally, she looked up at me and said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have been so…" Unable to grasp the right word immediately, she looked up and waved her hands about as if it would conjure up some word in her vocabulary that would fit.

I took the opportunity and cut in. "Don't worry about it."

She shot me a grateful glance before saying, "I guess I'm going to go back inside."

I nodded, thinking that was probably a good idea; the hall outside the common room was suddenly very cold.

We both stood, and turned for the door. One of her feet must not have gotten the message to turn, because she tripped over one of them. Seeing the problem before she could, I held my arms out as she fell forward. I tried to help her stand straight and ended up with her leaning on my chest and me holding her elbows.

We paused and looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Her blue eyes for once not icy with dislike. Now they were almost wondering.

It was our moment in time. One small chunk out of forever that I would always be grateful for and I would never forget.

I felt my face turn red as she shook her head and blinked a few times. When she reopened her eyes, the icy aloofness was back and I felt my heart sink.

She pushed herself away abruptly and said, "Thanks." hastily before turning and walking through the door without a backward glance.

FRED'S POV:

I walked back to the common room with Violet. The walk back was quiet and a little awkward. But the darkness helped.

When we got to the door of the Gryffindor common room, I was surprised to see George standing outside it, looking at the door without focusing his vision on it, like he wasn't really seeing it. His expression was blank and almost confused. Like maybe he didn't know how to walk anymore, or didn't know what he was supposed to do now.

"George?" I said, setting a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped and turned to face me.

I told Violet to go on ahead without me and George and I sat down out of the way so she could slip by.

"What's going on? What happened?" I asked, watching his still-staring face for any change in expression.

There was none as he responded. "I talked to her. The girl I was talking to at the meeting today. Zoë."

Failing to see the point, I said, "Yeah, and?"

He looked up then, his eyes slightly wider than normal. "I don't know. We were just talking, but, I don't know, when she stood up she kind of fell and then we were looking at each other and…" He looked stricken.

"People look at each other all the time, George. In fact I'm looking at you now."

He gave me a look that said quite clearly that jokes on the subject weren't welcome.

"Go on, then." I sad after awkwardly clearing my throat.

"It wasn't like just looking at each other. It was different. She was leaning on me and I was holding her and when we looked at each other, we were so close. It was different than just looking at a person. It was like really seeing a person. You know? Oh of course you don't, you kiss on the first date, not stopping to see if you really know a person." I was about to interject, but he held up a hand and continued on. "Anyways, while we were looking at each other, she just turned and left."

I frowned and had to admit that even I, Fred Weasley, prankster extraordinaire, thought that was bad manners. "She didn't say anything?"

George shook his head and looked down at his feet. "Tons of girls in this school that are head-over-bloody-heels in love with us and the one I want is the one that doesn't want me back." he grumbled miserably, kicking at a scuff mark on the wood floors.

"Don't worry, George." I said, awkwardly patting his back.

He nodded and stood up, turning for the door. I stayed outside for a while longer, thinking about Violet.

She had seemed genuinely excited and cooperative with our plan. I hoped the disappointment hadn't been too clear on my face. The plan had been a great idea and I had loved the idea as much as she had, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to take my time with her. I wanted to be with her now. But I would have to wait. I already said I would, so I would keep up my end of the deal.

With that thought stuck in my head, I went up to bed.

VIOLET'S POV:

I walked into the common room, leaving Fred and George outside. I wondered what was going on with George as I walked up the stairs and over to my bed.

I crawled under the covers and laid my head gently on the pillow with an exhausted sigh. Sleep didn't come easily, though. I kept tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable but failing horribly every time. Finally, I fell into unconsciousness and gratefully let my mind sink to sleep.

The dream I had was confusing and left me with many questions that couldn't be answered.

I was standing in a room full of people, a blur of faces passing me by as they danced in circles around me. They were all smiling and wearing fancy dresses and suits. I looked down at myself and saw that I, too, was in a long, shimmering dress.

Before me stood two young men. I couldn't see their faces, only the silhouette of their figures against the bright lights of the room.

One was tall and leaned on one leg in a casual, laid-back stance. His hair was short and he held his head up. I could tell this was Fred. I had known him for only a few days and already, the way he held himself was familiar to me.

The other boy was shorter and also had short hair, but it was a little longer than Fred's. He stood proudly, his back straight and his head tossed back in what I assumed was laughter. Something about this figure was familiar, too, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Just as I thought I had the name right, Fred's features faded into his outline, proving my first assumption right.

He reached his hand out, his eyes soft and sparkling in the dim lighting. I put my hand in his hand and he squeezed gently, pulling me out into the sea of blurred faces. He put one hand on my waist and laced his fingers through my other hand.

I was normally a terrible dancer, always stumbling and nearly falling over my own feet. But now, I glided easily over the hardwood floors of the great room. Fred smiled down at me and said something, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of laughter and music that slurred together in a cacophony of ballroom noises.

Then, we stopped dancing and dropped our arms. Fred leaned in and kissed me softly, then put his arms around me and pulled away as I laid my head on his chest.

Something was troubling me but I couldn't quite catch what. Just as I was beginning to wake up, I caught sight of something.

The other figure was standing in the corner, watching us with his head tilted down almost ashamed-looking. But somehow, I could tell he was glaring at us.


	8. Was It You!

FRED'S POV:

I hopped out of bed, happy for the weekend and hoping to take Violet to down to Hogsmeade. I got dressed quickly and ignored any suspicious glances George cast my way. I ran down the stairs and was dismayed to have to wait on the couch for Violet to come down, Hermione in tow.

"Hey, Fred." Violet said, smiling widely at me.

"Hey." I said, smiling back and standing up. "Do you want to go on a little adventure with me today?"

She narrowed her eyes, a smile playing at the edges of her mouth. "What kind of adventure?"

VIOLET'S POV:

"Can I open my eyes yet?" I asked impatiently.

I started to open one eye, but Fred yelled, "No, no, no, no, no!" and put his hands over my eyes.

I frowned; I had only been able to catch a glimpse of a snow-covered tree. It was much easier to walk without the constant fear that I would walk into something with Fred's hands on my eyes instead of one hand pulling me along. He was more in control of my direction this way. He slowed to a stop and I stopped along with him.

"Ready?" he asked close to my ear.

I nodded and he lifted his hands away from my eyes.

Before me was a long road lined with small cottages that all leaned in odd directions. There were large signs hanging from the parts of roof that hung over the doorways that announced the names of the shops and buildings. A thick blanket of snow was lain over everything in sight. The sun was peeking out from behind a few clouds, but it wasn't enough to melt through the layers of cold snow. I pulled my jacket around myself tighter and looked behind me. There were more shops there, too.

"Welcome to Hogsmeade." Fred said, taking my hand and pulling me along down the road. "Where do you want to go first?"

How was I supposed to know? I had never been here.

"I don't know. Where do you recommend?" I asked, inspecting the names of the various shops.

"Well, I like Zonko's Joke Shop, but that's just me. Maybe we should go somewhere you would like more, like Tomes and Scrolls."

I watched his face as he easily traversed the snow-covered town. He didn't have to think much about where he went, he probably had the layout of the entire area memorized.

Eventually, we came to a shop with a big, brown sign made of rotting wood that said "Tomes and Scrolls" in fancy script. We walked in the front door and the smell of paper and ink and leather bindings hit me all at once. I breathed the scent in, the familiar smell making me think of my home, filled with books and paper with story ideas scrawled on them in ink. I set to work examining every book in the place. They had everything from magic spell books to muggle story books like the ones I grew up with. I bought a book that I recognized as one I had seen as a child in the market with my mother a long time ago. We walked out of the store, Fred making fun of me for actually buying a book on what was supposed to be a fun outing. But books and writing were fun for me.

Next, we headed to Honeydukes. There were tons of different candies to choose from and I decided not to get anything, not being able to decide upon any specific candy. We stepped out of the sugar-scented shop and into the cold air, our breath hanging there for a moment before being blown away with the wind.

"Didn't you get anything?" Fred asked, frowning at my empty hands. His, too, were empty.

"Nah, I couldn't decide." I explained.

He nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Me neither."

We started off again and had only taken a few steps when Fred made me jump, yelling, "Ooh!" like a little kid and pointing to another shop. He grabbed my hand and ran, tugging me along after him. Zonko's came into sight. I laughed and ran with him up to the door. We stepped in and looked around, testing out the products on each other when we could. Eventually the novelty of the shop wore off and we left.

We stumbled out of the shop, laughing and pulling our coats closer to our bodies. The sun was sinking down below the horizon and the snow was still falling evenly. There were still some people walking around between the rows of buildings, but it was strangely quiet (not counting our laughter). Our hysterics died out and the silence fell over us eerily.

I shivered and pulled the top of my coat up a bit.

Fred stepped closer to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "Cold?" he asked.

I nodded, my teeth clicking together. He started rubbing my arm with his hand, trying to create some friction.

"Well, well… Look what we have here." came a familiar, drawling voice.

I spun around to see Draco Malfoy and two of his fat cronies slinking their way up to us.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Fred asked, stepping in front of me, his voice oozing distaste.

He shrugged and looked around, holding up his hands in a sweeping gesture to take in the snow-covered land around him. "Sight-seeing." When he stopped looking around, his eyes rested on me and an amused look entered his cold gray eyes.

"Leave." Fred growled.

Malfoy turned his outraged expression on the Weasley boy. "What did you say to me?" He held up his hand and snapped his fingers.

The two fat boys came up from behind him and lunged at Fred. These boys seemed to be very top-heavy, so I made a snap decision and stepped out from behind Fred and, keeping myself low to the ground, stayed on one foot and swung the other leg around under me. My leg hit both boys in their ankles, knocking them to the ground with a dull thud.

One bounced back up, but the other seemed to have been knocked senseless (or more senseless than before would be more accurate). The one on his feet pulled the other up by his armpits and dragged him away, Malfoy screaming at him to "get back over here and fight like a man".

I chanced a backward-cast glance at Fred. He was staring at me wide-eyed, rooted to the spot.

Malfoy turned back around to face me.

I half-grinned and held my fists up. I feigned a lunge forward, but, much to my surprise, the coward did nothing.

"You don't scare me, darling. In fact just the opposite," he began taking steps forward.

I could hear Fred start to protest, but I shook my head infinitesimally. The only reason he didn't say anything was that he knew I could take care of myself just fine.

"You interest me." He was now only a foot or two away.

"Leave, Malfoy. Or I'll give you what your friends got… tenfold." I said, my voice low and dangerous.

He hesitated and then nodded.

I was shocked beyond words, but I knew I couldn't show it just then.

He turned, sauntering away and whistling a song that was vaguely familiar to me.

I turned back to Fred. "You okay?"

He nodded, still wide-eyed. "But you're not."

I raised an eyebrow at him quizzically.

"You got scratched." He held his hand up to my cheek and rubbed his thumb over a spot that felt dully sore.

"I must've gotten nicked in that tub of lard's fall."

Fred chuckled a bit and said, "Lets get back to the castle."

I nodded and let him put his arm over my shoulder as we walked up to the looming visage of the castle.

Fred kept asking me if I was okay. I assured him that it was only a scratch and I would be fine.

But it wasn't the scratch that bothered me. It was the song Draco had whistled. It was the song that had been playing in my dream last night. What worried me even more was how strikingly similar that faceless, sneering frame from my dream was to Draco Malfoy's retreating figure.


End file.
